Lowlights of the week

Tools

The details: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi called for a crackdown on protesters, while urging supporters of his regime to come out of their houses, fill the streets, and take back the capital as well as other cities. Nearly 300 people have been killed in the weeklong upheaval, according to Human Rights Watch.

Oh s***

2| Emanuel becomes mayor

The details: Despite not having been a proper resident of Chicago for years and being closely aligned with the preceding failed administration, former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was elected mayor by a landslide. The city's budget deficit is set to top $500 million, with the potential to reach $1 billion.

Shaken

3| New Zealand devastated by earthquake

The details: An earthquake in one of New Zealand’s largest cities, Christchurch, left 75 dead and an estimated 300 still missing. Prime Minister John Key declared it a national emergency and estimates the damages to cost nearly $12 billion.

Drop off

4| No defense of marriage

The details: Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Obama administration would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, criticized the move as inappropriately timed.

Final Journey

5| Pirate victims' remains return

The details: Four Americans were killed by Somali pirates after being kidnapped and held for three days. Their bodies are returning home aboard the USS Enterprise. An investigation into the hijacking is continuing, according to a spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command.